In 1964, The Republic of Zambia became an independent nation. On Oct. 24, 2014, the country will commemorate 50 years of freedom with a myriad of festivities, parades and music.

Today, female farmers in this beautiful country have another cause for celebration – their growing success at increasing crop yields and productivity at significant rates.

Women farmers represent nearly half of Africa’s agricultural workers, and are critically important to developing the full potential of African agriculture and global food security. However, they historically haven’t had the supportive environment needed to grow from subsistence farming to smallholder production and beyond.

One reason is a clear gender gap. Women face many challenges, such as balancing household work with farming, unequal access to crop inputs, inability to access credit, and lack of land rights.

Cargill sees female farmers as the change agents of African agriculture, and is putting significant focus on helping them improve their livelihoods and giving them skills to reinvest in their farms. In Zambia, over 800 Cargill Women’s Clubs are helping to empower female farmers, providing them with access to inputs, technologies, credit and key training on agricultural practices and gender issues.

The Cargill Women’s Clubs are showing results. “Our produce is now very good because of the training we have had,” said Faneli, a member of one of the clubs. “This is because now we know the importance of early planting and applying fertilizer in the correct manner. We have benefited a lot.”

This video tells the stories of Zambian women farmers whose lives and families have been transformed as they develop their leadership skills, sense of pride, vision for the future – and, as so appropriate on Oct. 24 – their independence.

https://bcove.me/827uyg35